1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to playing card holders and, more particularly, for holders of the type as are particularly desirable for use in card games in which a discard pile is generated during play of the game. More specifically, the present invention relates to a playing card holder for receiving and storing discarded playing cards during play of the game in a manner that limits player access to the discarded playing cards.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The increasing popularity of wagering, along with the accompanying increases in the dollar volume of wagers placed, has required a heightened sense of awareness on the part of casino security personnel. Nowhere is this more evident than in those wagering games where members of the public, or the dealers, are permitted physical contact with the random event determinator. Whether the wagering game employs dice or playing cards, permitting access to such random event determinators invites the possibility of their corruption, resulting in the casino losing its house advantage.
Such undetected corruption recently resulted in a series of casino loses associated with the game of Baccarat. Using playing cards divided into two hands, the goal in Baccarat is to obtain hands of a certain numerical value. Having rules of play that are even less complex than Blackjack, Baccarat is the least controllable table game from the perspective of the house. On certain wagers, Baccarat provides the slimmest of house edges.
Although explained below in the context of Baccarat, Mini-Baccarat, and Blackjack (also known as "Twenty-One"), other playing card games also present a casino with a risk of cheating through playing card manipulations. In games such as Blackjack, after play of a particular hand has been completed, all of the playing cards are collected and placed into a discard pile. With player and dealer attention focused on the dealing and play of the next hand, the discarded playing cards are at risk of being surreptitiously removed, marked, and then replaced by players sitting at that table. As can be imagined, actual knowledge of particular playing card identity can at times greatly assist in card play and betting strategy during subsequent hands using those "marked" cards.
Baccarat arrived in the United States from the glamorous casinos of Europe, and perhaps intimidated most American players by the ambiance and regal air surrounding the game. Played in a formal, full-pit setting, the European version uses a long table with 12 to 14 players, a dealer, three croupiers, with formal attire the norm. Such a game plays to only a limited market in U.S. casinos.
To widen the market for Baccarat, American casinos have provided a dressed-down version: "Mini-Baccarat," which uses the same game rules, but is played on a standard Blackjack-size table with six players, one dealer, and much less protocol. Additionally, most casinos apply lower betting limits for mini-baccarat, hoping to attract novice players to the game.
Both Baccarat and Blackjack have playing cards dealt from a deck by a dealer to form individual hands--two in Baccarat and two or more in Blackjack. A two-card hand is initially dealt in both games, with additional cards added at either the player's option (Blackjack, player's hand) or based upon minimum hand point values (Blackjack, dealer's hand; both hands in Baccarat). The point value assigned to each of the different playing cards is based upon the nominal value of the "numbers" card, with the "face" cards assigned either a value of "ten" (Blackjack) or "zero" (Baccarat).
Play of the hands varies slightly between the two; however, in both it would be greatly beneficial for the player to know the value of face-down playing cards prior to their being turned. In Blackjack, a player must determine whether to accept another card from the deck, or simply stand and wait for the dealer's play. In Baccarat, the player bets after the two hands are dealt, but prior to their values revealed.
Blackjack and Baccarat share another feature, both provide the house with its narrowest edge, near 6% in Blackjack and even less in Baccarat. After the initial deal, Baccarat provides for drawing no more than a total of three cards for either hand. When both hands have been played out, the hand closest to NINE wins, with winning BANKER and PLAYER bets paid even money (1 to 1), and a 5% commission taken from winning BANKER bets (payoff ratio of 19:20). TIE bets are usually paid at 8 to 1. Since the PLAYER hand is always played out first, the BANKER hand is given a slight edge, winning 50.7% to the PLAYER 49.3%, tie bets excluded. The 5% commission taken on BANKER wins results in a house edge of 1.17% on BANKER bets, and a 1.36% edge on PLAYER bets (TIES included).
Since Baccarat and Blackjack offer the lowest house edges of the casino table games, very little in terms of "corruption" is required before the edge shifts to the player. The ability in Baccarat to place higher bets only further aggravates the temptation to manipulate the natural odds favoring the house.
Once the play of hand has been completed, the playing cards are collected and placed in a discard pile. Play continues, and after the completion of many such hands, the discards are reshuffled prior to their replacement in the card-holding "shoe" for use in further games. While in the discard pile, the playing cards are vulnerable to surreptitious removal by someone at the table. Once removed, the playing card(s) can be "compromised," and then quietly returned to the discard pile for later use in the game after reshuffling.
This vulnerability of discarded playing cards also exists with the casino game of Twenty-One or Blackjack. As mentioned previously, the ability to discern the value of the potential draw cards, or the dealer's cards, can be of great value in these games as well. To minimize the opportunities for such removal/replacement, the discards must be at a location on the table that makes their unobserved removal awkward in some manner, yet continues to provide for their unobstructed visibility, at all times, to the players and to the dealer.